LSU head coach Lane Kiffin’s contract and salary is a hot topic amid his breakup with Ole Miss. Kiffin made a lot of money to leave Ole Miss at the College Football Playoff altar amid his move to LSU.
How much money is Kiffin making at LSU? Kiffin has an annual salary of $13 million, making the controversial coach one of the highest paid in college football.
The LSU coach inked a seven-year, $91 million contract, per WFAB. This does not factor in the additional money Kiffin can earn via bonuses if LSU is able to excel on the field.
Let’s dive into Kiffin’s salary and new contract with LSU.
LSU HC Lane Kiffin’s Contract: The Coach Earns $3 Million Bonus If Tigers Win National Championship
It will come as no surprise that Kiffin’s biggest earning opportunity comes by winning the national championship. If Kiffin can win his first national title, the LSU coach would earn a $3 million bonus, per WFAB.
Other notable potential bonuses include winning the SEC ($1 million), making the national title game ($2 million), reaching the College Football Playoff ($750,000) and $100,00 for making any bowl game.
Lane Kiffin’s Salary at LSU Puts Tigers HC Among the Highest-Paid College Football Coaches
Kiffin not only gets a bonus if LSU wins a national championship, but the coach’s contract will receive a boost. The LSU coach is able to supersede the highest-paid college football coach with a national title win.
“If LSU wins a College Football Playoff national championship during the term, Kiffin’s salary automatically increases for the remainder of the deal so that he exceeds the highest-paid coach in college football, but this escalator can only be triggered once,” WFAB’s Gray Louisiana detailed in a December 1, 2025, story titled, “Lane Kiffin’s LSU contract: $13M per year, bonuses, and protections.”
According to CBS Sports, Kiffin trails only Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Georgia’s Kirby Smart as the highest-paid college football coach.
Lane Kiffin Received a $4 Million Annual Salary Raise by Bolting Ole Miss for LSU
Kiffin’s annual salary at Ole Miss was $9 million as part of a six-year contract extension the coach signed. The increased money likely helped Kiffin’s decision, but it also appears the coach believed he had a better chance at LSU to build a sustained title contender.
The LSU coach admitted that he does not “handle breakups well.” Ole Miss fans will likely remind Kiffin of this reality when LSU travels to Oxford on September 19.
“Yeah, I don’t handle breakups well, I guess,” Kiffin admitted in an August 10, interview with SEC Network. “I actually have said this.
“I’ve only had three serious relationships. This is very personal in my life of marriage and two girlfriends of long-term. And I’ve like looked at those. Those three departures weren’t great either. So, this is a me problem.”
LSU Coach Lane Kiffin’s Salary & Contract Is More Money Than Expected